How Much You Should Disclose About Your Job Experience?

The two most important areas which are exploited in an interview is regarding your job and reasons of leaving a job. Interviews are persistent in these areas. While formulating, be sure about your answers. It should be acceptable and rationalized. Your feeling about past and current job provides point to the possible strengths in shortcomings.

Job history

• "Tell me about the jobs you have held since college."
• "How were they obtained?"
• "Why did you leave?"
• "Tell me about your present job."
• "What do you consider your major responsibilities in your last job?"
• "In your last job, what were some of the things you spent the most time doing?"
• "What things do you feel you did particularly well?"
• "What things did you have difficulty with?"
• "What was the reason for leaving your last job? What about the one before that?"

Your job history along with the reasons for leaving your past jobs, are two of the most important and sensitive areas that will be explored during the interview. The interviewer is going to be persistent in questioning you in this area. He or she will use every technique we discussed. This includes direct questions, open-ended questions, reflection and interpretation. You'll be asked to clarify and elaborate on your responses. The interviewer will loop back and constantly test for inconsistencies in your answers. Why? Because the reasons behind job changes can tell an interviewer more about a candidate than anything else. You can be looking for a new job, because you've just out of college, or you just got fired, or you want more money or challenge or responsibility. Whatever the reason, you must furnish a good one for each position, or you may be knocked out of the box and dropped from further consideration.



Some good, solid reasons for leaving a job are: money, challenge, opportunity, a more prestigious company, advancement, increased responsibility, geographic preference. Some questionable reasons are: personality conflict, reduction-in-force, reorganization, lack of opportunity, no room for growth, mutually satisfactory release. Some unacceptable reasons are: conflict with a superior, termination for cause, ineptitude for job, failure to perform work, medical reasons (more about this later), early retirement.

In formulating your answers, make sure you come up with acceptable reasons even if you have to stretch the truth or rationalize the real reasons away in your own mind. To further cover your tracks, only furnish references from individuals who will support your reasons. In the event the prospective employer decides to confirm your story, it should check out. Fm not recommending that you deliberately construct falsehoods. What I am suggesting is that you assess all the facts that contributed to your voluntary or involuntary termination and articulate only that portion that favors you. True, you may have to commit a sin of omission, but keep in mind, the employer may not be telling the exact truth either when describing the reasons why the job is open. It could be that you're applying for a job your predecessor left in pure disgust because of the working conditions. Make up your story, then stick to it. Sharp interviewers know that it takes two or three good reasons for people to change jobs; so you should have at least three convincing reasons for leaving each job. Money, challenge, and opportunity are excellent. They must be articulated in such a manner, however, that it doesn't make you come across as an opportunist or a job hopper, completely devoid of loyalty or gratitude toward your past employers.

How did you feel about your job?

• "What are some of the problems you encountered?"
• "What frustrates you the most?"
• "What do you do about those frustrations?"
• "How do you feel about the progress you've made with your present company?"
• "How have you developed in your job?"
• "What has been your greatest frustration or disappointment in your present job, and why do you feel this way?"
• "What are some of the reasons you had for leaving your last job?"
• "What is your general impression of the last company you worked for?"
• "What did you like about your last job?"
• "What were some of the minuses in your last job?
• ''Do you consider your progress on the job representative of your ability? Why?"
• "Compared to your other jobs, how do you rank your last one? Why?"
• "How many hours a week do you feel a person should devote to a job?"

Your feelings about your current job and your past jobs will provide clues for the interviewer that can point up your strengths or your shortcomings. The interviewer might formulate a hypothesis about you that says you're not telling the truth about how you feel about your past jobs and, moreover, that you structured your remarks to hide those facts. Your job is to convince the interviewer that you are telling the truth and that your reasons are genuine. You can accomplish this by sticking to your story, being consistent, and not contradicting yourself.

How do you feel about people?

• "Describe your supervisor to me."
• "What are some of the things you and your supervisor disagreed about?"
• "What do you feel were your supervisor's greatest strengths?"
• "What areas do you feel your supervisor could have improved upon?"
• "How do you feel about the way your supervisor treated you and the others in your department?"
• "How has your supervisor helped you to develop?"
• "What are some things your supervisor did that you liked? How about those you disliked?"
• "Do you feel your supervisor rated you fairly? Can you support that conclusion?"
• "What did your supervisor rate you the highest on?"
• "What criticism did your supervisor make of your work? How did you feel about that conclusion?"
• "What kind of people do you like to work with?"
• "What kind of people do you find it most difficult to work with?"
• "Have you been successful in working with people you dislike? How do you do it?"

Your attitude toward others and your interpersonal relations are of extreme importance in evaluating you as a potential employee. An individual can be the brightest, hardest working, technically competent, and productive employee in the world; but if he or she can't get along with other people-be they peers, subordinates, or superiors- then that individual is doomed to the rejection pile. Good interpersonal skills and good human relations are essential for success. Few, if any, jobs can be performed in a void without interacting with others. By asking the above questions, the interviewer, is trying to gather data that will tell him or her how you feel about others. Your responses must indicate that your relations have always been good and that you have never encountered any problems in this area.

If you have had problems here, then once again play them down and accent only the positive factors. Telling an interviewer that you have personal relations problems is one red flag that will wave you out of consideration. The interviewer should believe that your ability to get along with others is superior, that you create good will and warm, friendly feelings with everyone you come in contact with. With subordinates, you are firm but fair; with peers, you give and take; with superiors, you take direction and guidance in a positive manner. You rarely antagonize anyone, and you're known for your ability to get along well with everyone. Don't overdo it, but answer this line of questioning thoughtfully.